How to Learn a Piano Piece Quickly

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Learning to play a new piece of music on the piano can be difficult. Whether you're struggling with a piece your teacher set you, or are teaching yourself a piece you've always wanted to learn, this guide should help reduce the hours of frustrating practice which seem to get you nowhere.

Steps

1. Split the piece up. Setting yourself smaller goals within the piece of music will make it more manageable and less frustrating, how many parts you split the piece up into will depend on the length of the music and how difficult it is, use your judgement to decide.
   
2. Practice each hand individually. Learn the left hand part first, then the right. Don't try to play them together until you can play them both individually.
   
3. Add to it bit by bit. Rather than trying to play all the way through, play one line a few times, then add the next line, then the next.
   
4. Slow it down. Don't try to play it at full speed until you can play it slowly without making mistakes.
   
5. Take your time. You'll end up feeling frustrated if you try to do it all at once. Take regular breaks and play other pieces which you can play while you're learning a difficult piece.
   
6. Identify any problem sections and break them down further. If you need to spend 10 minutes on getting 2 chords right, then spend 10 minutes on it. It will be worth it in the long run and ignoring a problem part can cause frustration later on when it is the only part you cannot play.
   
7. Play it through once you think you've got the hang of it. This will allow you to identify any places you are still going wrong. Remember to keep coming back to the piece now you can play it, so you don't forget it.
   
8. Don't leave it wrong. If you stop practising after playing it wrongly, you will remember it incorrectly. By making sure you end on a section you can play, the correct version will stick in your mind, making it easier to play next time.
   

Tips

• Many pieces of music are based on patterns. Patterns make music easier to play so identify as many as you can.
  
• If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break. The music will still be there when you come back and you won't learn as efficiently if you're annoyed.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Learn Piano Songs by Ear
  
• How to Memorize a Piano Song
  
• How to Count Beats in a Song
  
• How to Practice Sight Reading Piano Music
  

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